Fruit sizer



Jan. 11, 1955 MlLLER 2,699,253

FRUIT SIZER Filed May 13, 1953 3. Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. kdyuouo L.M [use R. L. MILLER Jan. 11, 1955 FRUIT SIZER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 13. 1953 RAY/homo 1.. MILLER ATTORNEY,

Jan. 11, 1955 R. L. MILLER 2,699,253

FRUIT SIZER Filed May 13, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. RAYMOND 4. MIL LER Arman/ United States Patent FRUIT SIZER Raymond L. Miller, Utica, Mich. Application May 13, 1953, Serial No. 354,673 8 Claims. (Cl. 209-404) This invention relates to orchard equipment, and has particular reference to a device for sizing fruit, especially apples.

Because of the thin skin on apples, it is necessary that they be handled in a more careful manner than is required of oranges, grapefruit, and other types of fruit. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a sizing device which will select the largest and most expensive apples first, and the next largest second, and so on until all of the apples presented to the machine are graded and sized.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which selects the largest apples first and elevates them to a box or platform so that they may be hand wrapped and boxed in order to bring the highest price available.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact sizing machine which occupies a comparatively limited floor space, but one which has a very large capacity for sizing fruit, with a minimum of bruising or otherwise damaging the fruit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fruit sizer which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and operate, and eflicient in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fruit sizer which is constructed and arranged so that the fruit moves efiiciently through the device, without any danger of clogging or blocking up the mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for sizing apples, which is provided with a plurality of inclined rotatable discs, which are arranged in such a manner as to stagger the fall of the non-selected fruit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character indicated, which may be operated effectively by an individual operator under minimum working conditions, or may employ as many as six operators when operating at its maximum capacity.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, reference being made from time to time to the accompanying drawing, forming part of the within disclosure, in which drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front trated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device illustrated in Fig.

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be understood that in the embodiment herein disclosed, the reference character 8 indicates a pair of front legs and the reference character 9 indicates a pair of rear legs, which support the device. Longitudinal stringers 10 are connected between the front legs 8 and the rear legs 9 and serve to carry the principal load of the device. Another pair of stringers 11 are connected to the rear legs 9 and extend forwardly but are of a shorter length than the stringers 10. The front ends of the stringers 11 are supported by means of short legs 12, which are in turn connected to the stringers 10. Another set of stringers 13 are likewise connected to the rear legs 9 and extend forwardly a shorter distance than the length of the stringers 11, and are supported at their front ends by means of short legs 14, which in turn are connected to the stringers 11. The top stringers 15 are likewise connected to the rear legs 9 and extend forwardly a distance elevational view of the device illusless than the length of the stringers 13. The front ends of the stringers 15 are supported by means of short legs 16, which in turn rest on the stringers 13.

The members just described consist either of L or T shaped in cross section angle iron, and are preferably by welding. The members are cross connected and braced by suitable angle iron elements 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 (Fig. 2). The supporting frame work just described is intended for in the contemplation of the invention.

It will also be understood that the over-all height of the device herein disclosed is not over four feet, so that the non-selected fruit in the various stages of grading do not have to fall but a short distance between the several stations of operation.

Slidably mounted on the rails 13 and 15 (Figs. 1 and 3) is a pair of bearing blocks 23, which blocks 23 may be moved along the rails 13 and 15 by means of the threaded 27, which supports a roller pass an endless belt 29, which is made of any material suitable for supporting the apples or other fruit to be sized without bruisingor otherwise damaging the same.

in turn is supported for rotation with a shaft 31, which is journaled in suitable bearings carried by the legs 16A (Fig. 1). The shaft 31 and roller 30 are driven by means of a sprocket 32, which in turnis driven by a chain 33, which chain simultaneously also drives the rollers and belts of the other stages of operation as hereinafter described. The chain 33 is driven by means of a sprocket wheel 34 (Fig. 3) which is mounted for rotation with the shaft 35, on which is driven by a suitable electric motor 40 through the speed reducer 41, which are supported as at 41A. Slack of the chain 33 is taken up by an idler 33A.

Journaled for rotation in suitable bearings carried by the legs 16B is a shaft 42 (Figs. 1 and 3). The shaft 42 is rotated by means of a sprocket 43, which is also driven by the chain 33. Mounted for rotation with the shaft 42 is a plurality of flexible rubber discs 44, which discs are inclined approximately 15 degrees from vertical with respect to the shaft 42. Each disc 44 has a hub portion 45 which serves as a spacer, so that the faces of the discs 44 are positioned approximately three inches apart, whereby the largest apples 46, which are received from the belt 29 may be grasped therebetween and so that the apples, such as 47, having a diameter of less than three inches will correto accommodate the shaft 42, whereby the discs 44 are power driven.

It will be noted too, that because of the inclined position of the discs 44 on the shaft 42, they will be given a wobbling action as they rotate with the shaft, which rereciprocating fingers 49 and hence onto the floor 50A of the box 50, from which they may be removed by hand, and be wrapped and boxed as the finest grade. The box 50 is supported on legs 50B which rest on the stringers 13. The fingers 49 which receive the largest apples 46 and strip them from the faces of the at 51, to a slide bar 52, which slide bar is mounted in a groove formed in the floor 50A of the box 50 and is reciprocated by means of a lever 53, which is pivoted, at one end, to the slide bar 52, and is pivoted intermediate its end, as at 54, with its free end in contact with the face of a cam 55 which is mounted for rotation with the shaft 42. The fingers 49 are preferably covered with soft rubber so as not to bruise the fruit.

This completes the description of the structure and functioning of the first sizing operation. The other sizing stages are similar, that is all of the apples, such as indicated by the reference character 47, which have a smaller diameter than the apples selected at the first stage of sizing, pass between the discs 44 and are received by the belt 48. The apples 47 are moved by the belt 48 to a plurality of discs 56 which are more closely spaced than the discs 44. For example, the distance between the discs 56 may be 2% inches, so that all apples having a diameter of 2% inches or upwards are selected by the discs 56 and deposited in the collector box 57, from which they may be picked by hand if desired or may be deposited in baskets by means of a chute (not shown). The apples having a diameter smaller than the distance between the faces of the discs 56 pass between the discs 56 onto the third belt 58, which advances them into the plurality of rotatable discs 59, which discs are again spaced closer than the discs 56, so that they will pick up the next size of apples and deposit them in the collector box 60, from which they may be deposited into baskets or the like by a flexible chute (not shown). The smaller apples or culls indicated by the reference character 61, which pass through discs 59 are permitted to drop into a final collector box 62.

The discs 56 and 59 are supported in the same manner as the discs 44 and are driven by means of the sprockets 63 and 64, which are also motivated by the chain 33.

The belt 48 and the belt 58 are supported as previously described, by means of the rollers 65, 66, 67, and 68. The belt 48 is driven by the sprocket 69 and the belt 58 is driven by the sprocket 70, both of which sprockets are also driven by the chain 33. Tension is maintained on the belt 48 by means of the bearing blocks 71, the threaded rods 72 and the nut 73, and tension is maintained on the belt 58 by means of the bearing blocks 74, the threaded rods 75 and the nut 76 as previously described in connection with the bearing blocks 23.

In operation, the device functions as follows:

The electric motor 40 is first started. This is the motive power for the entire machine. The motor 40, through the reduction gear 41, the sprocket 38, chain 37, sprocket 36, shaft 35, and wheel 34, causes the movement of the chain 33, which in turn causes the simultaneous rotation of the sprockets 32, 43, 69, 63, 64, and 70, which sprockets cause the movement of the belts 29, 48, and 58, and the plurality of discs 56, 44, and 59. Apples of all sizes are then placed on the belt 29, which advances them to the first sizing discs 44. Here the largest and best apples are selected by the discs and deposited on the floor of the box 50. The smaller apples fall to the belt 48, which advances them to the second stage sizing discs 56, which select the next largest apples and deposit them in the second collector box 57, and all apples not selected by the discs 56 are deposited on the third belt 58, which advances them to the next size discs 59, where the third grade apples are picked up and deposited in the collector box 60. The apples not selected in the first three stages are dediscs 44, are pivoted, as a ptosited in the collector box 62 at the bottom of the mac me.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A multiple stage sizing machine, each stage comprising in combination an endless belt, a plurality of flexible discs mounted on a horizontal shaft for simultaneous rotation near said belt and arranged to receive fruit from said belt, the spacing of said discs being such that the largest pieces of said fruit are lightly gripped between said discs and moved upwardly from said belt to a receiving platform, and the smaller pieces of said fruit are passed between said discs to the endless belt of the second stage of said machine, and means for driving said belts and said discs.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which said discs are in clined from the vertical with respect to the axis of said shaft, and upon rotation impart a staggered descent to fruit passing therebetween.

3. The structure of claim 1, in which each said flexible disc has a hub on either side thereof, which hubs serve as spacers, said hubs having openings therein other than round, to receive the shaft, which itself has a cross section similar to the shape of said openings, whereby the said discs are rotated by said shaft.

4. The structure of claim 1, including a plurality of rockable fingers positioned between the faces of said discs and supported in a plane substantially in alignment with the said platform.

5. The structure of claim 1, including a plurality of rockable fingers positioned between the faces of said discs and supported in a plane substantially in alignment with said platform, a slide carried by said platform and pivoted to said fingers, an arm pivoted at one end to said slide and having its free end in contact with a cam member rotatable with said shaft.

6. A fruit sizing machine of the character indicated, comprising in combination a plurality of sizing stations arranged one above the other in staggered relation, each station comprising an endless belt for receiving fruit and advancing it, rollers for supporting said belt, a plurality of spaced flexible selector discs mounted for simultaneous rotation, near one of said belt supporting rollers, a horizontal shaft for supporting said discs, means for driving said belt and said shaft, said discs being inclined from the vertical with respect to the said shaft, a platform adjacent said discs for receiving fruit from said discs, said platform having its floor in a plane slightly above the plane in which lies said shaft, fingers between the faces of adjacent dlSCS, said fingers being arranged to strip firuit selected by said discs and deposit said fruit on said platform, said discs being arranged so that fruit not selected by said discs will be passed therebetween and be received on the belt of the station next below.

7. The structure of claim 6, in which said fingers are pivoted for lateral motion between the faces of said discs, are are moved simultaneous therewith.

8. The structure of claim 6, including means for simultaneously driving the belts of all sizing stations, and means {3011' independently adjusting the tension on each of said e ts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

